Effort begun to fix Marysville pool

Marysville officials hope to complete significant repairs and upgrades to the 55-year-old community pool over the next several years -- if they can find the money.

Plans are to start this year with several key items before the pool opens for the summer. Other projects may be tackled over time.

"First of all, we have to maintain the infrastructure of the existing facilities," said Rich Stees of the Marysville Park, Pool and Recreation Foundation. The group was founded in 2015 and supports fundraising efforts for the pool and recreation in the borough.

This year, the goal is to replace shingles on the bathhouse roof as well as its gable siding and possibly replace windows, said Stees, a retired engineer.

They also have to paint the pool and want to replace temporary shelters. The shelters are a stop-gap to provide pool patrons with extra shade in the summer until another pavilion is added, Stees said.

Those items alone could cost more than $10,000 on top of the roughly $4,000 needed for regular opening maintenance, pool chemicals and other supplies.

After two years of fundraising, the foundation has about $8,500 saved for the pool. Last year, it used some money to buy an automated external defibrillator, or AED, as well as lifeguard uniforms.

In the short-term, the pool also needs repairs to capstones around the edge, replacement of filtration intake boxes, upgrades to bathhouse facilities to better accommodate people with disabilities, upgrades to plumbing and pump house systems and a fresh coat of ultraviolet protective paint, according to Stees.

Pipes in the pump house are the original metal ones from when the pool was built in 1962, he said. After more than half a century, water and chemicals take their toll.

Stones and tiles are showing signs they need an overhaul, too, which would coincide with safety improvements, he said.

Tiles and paint that more clearly mark the depths in the pool from the inside are suggestions that came from a safety consultant who reviewed the pool's facilities after a drowning last summer, Weaver said. The pool is safe, but the consultant had suggestions, like using paint tones inside the pool to denote depths.

More long-term improvements include replacing filtration systems with energy efficient models, improvements to the snack bar and first aid building, replacing the public announcement system, parking lot repaving, and building a second permanent pavilion.

"The (existing) pavilion doesn't have enough capacity to handle everyone on a busy day," Stees said.

Improvements will be made over multiple years, either as the borough and foundation can raise the money, or as they become critical.

"This is a long-term vision," Stees said.

Repairs and upgrades could end up costing more than $60,000.

Raising money has been difficult; much of the pool's money comes from memberships.

Last summer, memberships and day passes dropped during the rock-slope project on Routes 11/15, Stees said. So this year, the foundation is hoping it can improve fundraising efforts. They include bingo, submarine sandwich sales, bake sales, 5K fun runs and a new corporate sponsorships. Buying a sponsorship will get companies a banner on the pool's fence, similar to baseball fields.

The next big fundraiser is the foundation's car show at Susquenita High School on May 13.

Anyone interested in helping the borough and foundation with the pool can contact the borough office at 957-3110.